By Alpha Abu
Sierra Leone has become the latest country in the sub-region to boast of an ECOWAS Early Warning Response Centre, following the formal launching of the facility at State House, Freetown on Monday 13 September 2021. The event attended by senior officials of
ECOWAS, the government’s development partners and the diplomatic community attended the event that was launched by Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh. He said he was personally honoured to witness the occasion with him having a peace and security background, and spoke about the efforts of the government and partners to develop the centre.
He said the establishing of the new facility will ensure the collecting and analysing of data as well as elaborate on and disseminate reports that will help mitigate threats to human security. He spoke about the various post- conflict institutions that are now in the country from which the new centre would draw “institutional history “ and forge through a strong partnership and work towards the realisation of its objectives.
The Vice President spoke about what he called the “slow motion impact” the country is experiencing due to Covid 19 and called for vigilance of member states in general against threats of fragility and potential social problems in the sub region and the continent as a whole.
He therefore viewed the centre as timely and as government’s symbolic concrete fulfilment of both national and regional obligations, with other countries such as Liberia, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso already having theirs. He said government would ensure the centre works with Ministries, Departments and Agencies and development partners to achieve its desired goals.
ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou thanked the commission for facilitating the establishment of the centre, and the EU and German Government through GIZ for funding and providing training and technical support including provision of equipment to the institution. He said the region is confronted with multiple threats like terrorism, diseases, armed extremism, piracy and other vices that do create social and political tensions, with serious humanitarian consequences.
He spoke of the need to urgently address issues related to preventive and mitigation measures against potential “harmful situations”. He said all the centres in the sub region would help position nations as “community solidarity”.
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Communication, Mohamed Rahman Swaray who chaired the ceremony said the country was no stranger to conflict and affirmed the government’s commitment to stabilising the country and making it attractive to foreign direct investment where every citizen would be able to realise their potentials.
The EU Head Manuel Muller and other dignitaries spoke about the essence of the new facility. The centre is located at Aberdeen, Freetown.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (15/09/21)
